At least nine people were killed and around 25 others injured in a collision involving a lorry and private bus in Karnataka's Hubballi-Dharwad district in the early hours of Tuesday, May 24. The mishap occurred around 12.45 am on the outskirts of Hubballi near Tarihal on the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway. Visuals from the accident spot showed the front of the truck badly shattered as a result of the collision. According to police, the tragedy occurred on the bypass when the truck carrying rice bags and a private bus collided head-on. As a result, six people travelling in the bus died on the spot and three more succumbed to injuries at the hospital.
Authorities have stated that the death toll might increase as many among the injured are critical. A total of 25 passengers, who suffered injuries, have been admitted to the KIMS hospital of Hubballi. The identities of the deceased persons are yet to be ascertained. Police said that most of the deceased persons were travelling to Bengaluru from Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Hubballi-Dharwad Commissioner of Police Labhu Ram visited the spot. Hubballi North Traffic police have taken up the investigation.
Only three days ago on May 21, at least eight persons were killed in another accident near Dharwad. Around 20 persons from Benakanakatti village were returning from a family event at Mansur village of Dharwad district in a minivan when the driver lost control and hit a tree, The Hindu reported. Those killed in the accident include three children, according to the Times of India. While four persons died on the spot, three others succumbed on their way to the hospital, and one more person passed away at the hospital.
Earlier in October, four people, including a couple and their son, and a truck driver, were killed in a road accident in Vijayapura district. According to police, the family was driving back home from Goa, when their vehicle rammed into a truck parked for repair on the National Highway-50, near Honaganahalli village in Babaleshwara taluka. All four of them died on the spot.